There’s no stopping Georgia Tech this time around
Jonathan Dwyer ran for two touchdowns, and Georgia Tech is on run of eight straight wins.
DURHAM, N.C. — Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like Georgia Tech reached some new plateau Saturday. This isn’t the first time the Jackets have won 10 games in a season, nor the first time they’ve clinched a berth in the ACC title game, nor certainly the first time they’ve beaten Duke.
But there is a difference in 2009. A different feel about what’s going on. A different expectation for what comes next. A 10-1 record, a trip to Tampa, a 49-10 win over Duke — this is not as good as it’s going to get for Tech. There is no ceiling. Only three more potential wins.
“We’re not satisfied,” running back Jonathan Dwyer said. “We won the ACC Coastal Division today, and, don’t get me wrong, that’s good and we’re going to celebrate. But we haven’t finished what our main goals were, which is to win the ACC and be in a BCS bowl game, and then win the BCS bowl game. And right now our minds are on Georgia.”
Even Paul Johnson found it difficult to be upset about too much Saturday.
Their minds were on Georgia three years ago. Just not like now. In 2006, the Jackets thumped Duke, 49-21. But even at 9-2, Chan Gailey didn’t have universal support. Even at 9-2, there was an uncertainty about the team, and the head coach, among the fan base.
In the next three games, it was reaffirmed why. The Jackets lost to Georgia (again). Then they lost to loss to Wake Forest in a dreary ACC championship game (9-6). Then they lost to West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. A 9-2 record with a No. 16 ranking turned into 9-5 and a mile from the top 25.
Gailey was given one more season by the new athletics director, Dan Radakovich. Then he was gone. Radakovich wanted a coach who would elevate the Jackets to higher ground and excite the fan base. When he hired Navy’s Paul Johnson, it was like plugging the program into a wall socket. Johnson has coached 24 games. He is 19-5. Cue the trumpets.
“Sure,” Johnson said when asked if he thought this was possible so soon. “We just missed it last year. … The thing these guys have done is they’ve bought in and worked hard. Sometimes I get after them. I got in the face of a couple of them today, even when the score got to be [one-sided]. They’ve learned to accept that and go on. Other kids might not. So my hats off to them. They’ve earned it.”
The Jackets stumbled out of the gate, falling behind 10-0. “We didn’t adjust,” Johnson said later, “we just started playing better.”
Duke punted on its next four possessions. Tech scored touchdowns on four of its next five. Game over.
Backups took over in the third quarter when the score grew to 42-10. It was welcome time off for the starters, who’ve labored for 16 straight weeks of practices and 11 straight games without a bye. Now, they can embrace the bye week before the Georgia game. The season could not have unfolded any better since that loss at Miami in Week 3. Tech has strung together eight straight wins and climbed to seventh in the rankings.
“We were devastated after losing that game,” said Dwyer, who in the past four games has rushed for 610 yards and six touchdowns. “Coach told us at that time that the good teams don’t lose two games in a row, and we’ve used that as momentum ever since.”
Long after the game, you could still hear Tech players shouting from outside the locker room.
“We’re excited,” Johnson said. “A lot of people have doubted them along the way, especially early. And they’ve just been resilient. Sometimes it’s not pretty, and they do some dumb things. But the bottom line is they found a way to win.”
Three years ago, we stopped counting wins after the Duke game. Nothing suggests that’s going to happen this time.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
355 comments Add your comment
cantondawg
November 16th, 2009
3:33 pm
It makes me sick reading these comments from supposed UGA fans saying that Tech will beat us and already giving up on the game. YOU people are losers and the bulldog nation is better off without bandwagon fans like you
Dave from GT
November 16th, 2009
4:30 pm
Canton, those doggie fans are the smart ones. Looks like you gonna go to bed early – in front of a national audience.
Great for the state of GA, especially since the game coming from such a great town like the big A. And that’s not Athens buddy!!!!
HungryDawg
November 16th, 2009
4:31 pm
Dave,
Yeah, such a GREAT town you got there. How many Tech students were mugged last night? LOL!!! What a tool.
matt
November 16th, 2009
4:33 pm
This is going to be hilarious!!! Nerd Nation is thinking they’re world beaters for FINALLY doing well in the worst BCS conference in the country. Half the teams in the ACC are either .500 or below!!
Dave from GT
November 16th, 2009
4:34 pm
Hungry, let’s not bring up the Athens rapist crap again this week.
I’ll give you a tool….. You are gonna have to deal with my Johnson come game time!!
What a fool!
Dave from GT
November 16th, 2009
4:36 pm
Just dawg beater, Matt, just dirty, mangy, dog beaters.
JoEy HaMiLt0n
November 16th, 2009
4:38 pm
HaY!!! CaNz NeBoDiEs gEt mAh PrObAtIoN oFfiZcEr 2 lEt mEe gOeZ 2 dA gAmE iNn 2 wEeKz?!?!?! h0lLa!!!!
HungryDawg
November 16th, 2009
4:39 pm
Yeeeeeeah, I’m sure there’s zero rapes going on in Atlanta. Where is Atlanta on the recent “Most Dangerous Cities” list? # 3?
St. Jorge
November 16th, 2009
4:41 pm
How funny is it to listen to Yech’s fight song talking about engineers, when they have zero on their sports teams? LOLOLOLOL!!!!
Dave from GT
November 16th, 2009
4:42 pm
I told you to drop the “r” word!!!! JoEy cracks me up though!
Just wear those slightly used black helmets!!!
BTW, your comments about Atlanta are racist.
Dave from GT
November 16th, 2009
4:43 pm
Enter your comments here
pocket protector
November 16th, 2009
4:55 pm
It must suck to be Nesbitt. Knowing your coach has zero confidence in you to throw the ball. What a lame offense.
Liberal Gay Dave from GT
November 16th, 2009
4:56 pm
Ever notice how all the liberal douchebags that post on here are Commie Techies? hahahahahaa!!!!
$tEpHoN MaRbUrY
November 16th, 2009
4:58 pm
j0eY,
Uz CaN uSeZ mAh PrObAtoR PeRsOn!!! He BeE dA BoMb!! m0f0!!!!!
Tech Girl
November 16th, 2009
5:00 pm
As a current Georgia Tech student, I find the risk of possibly getting attacked each day I go to, or from, class to be quite refreshing. I’m getting more culture than I ever come have possibly have learned at a smaller school.
THWG!!!!
Bird
November 16th, 2009
5:27 pm
Go Jackets – I’ve got a friend who’s son was a 3 yr walk on for Gailey and last year played for PJ and earned his scholarship. Class act all the way!!
I still hope the Dawgs can compete and win this year, but I’m not placing any bets.
Tampabound
November 16th, 2009
5:35 pm
not that you morons can understand anything but check out the GT roster before you once again run your mouths …there are indeed players in engineering, one has a 3.9 in aeronautical engineering you moron
HairyDawg
November 16th, 2009
10:41 pm
Whoop-T-Do
Techies beat Dukes but Bugs still stinks. Dawgs shows them what real football playing with SEC speeds is after Turkey Days.
DawgPounded
November 17th, 2009
3:31 am
You puppies ready for Paul Johnson’s annual beatdown of the dawg nation? We’re 1-0 in the Johnson era and we’re ready and waiting for the butt sniffers. We took your mangy hides last year at Sanford & Son with Stafford, Moreno and MoMass and WON. This year you have Cox (sic), Ealey and Green (who’s on the injured list) and a porous defense to match at our beloved BDS. And you Dawgs are talking smack? You might pay more attention to UK, since you might lose that game before we get our hands on you. But, make no mistake about it, the puppies will be abused on Nov 28th, so you better call PETA now!
Dave from GT
November 17th, 2009
9:01 am
A liberal huh?, Don’t get much lower that that.!!!!
Calling the Dawg a butt sniffer is, however, inspiring!
Pay attention to KY, its your last chance this year for a win!
GGTOG&THWGT
November 17th, 2009
10:55 am
John Heisman was a punk-a$$ little bitch and a smart mouth crook! Sounds eerily similar to CPJ. Next week he will find out that he is not coaching in that south GA trailor park anymore. Nesbitt will not make it out of the 1st quarter and Dwyer will be limping by halftime. This will be Willie’s swan song, so all the stops are out. And yes our defense is faster than that little girl’s option offense you have.
GGTOG&THWGT
November 17th, 2009
11:07 am
Tech Girl, you ARE at a smaller school. UGA is almost twice the size of Tech and has many more cultural opportunities. However, none of them involve bomb making, raping, armed robbery, or dope smoking by former players turned coaches. But we do require a grammar placement exam, which obviously shows why you are at Tech. Then again you may be fat and ugly. At UGA, we redshirt Miss Americas.
Tampabound, you said “one has a 3.9 in aeronautical engineering.” Does aeronautical engineering come with an Origami Minor? After all, if a Tech football player has a 3.9 it must be the design and maintenance of PAPER Airplanes. Take that academic crap and shove it. Nobody cares about that “we’re smarter than you” myth you punks keep spewing.
panama city beach mike
November 17th, 2009
11:13 am
UGA fans showing the class to complement Tech are appreciated. We all get carried away with the rivalry, and it does get overboard at times.
panama city beach mike
November 17th, 2009
11:29 am
I had just complemented the classy UGA fans. And here comes good old Bob. Happy trailer parking, red neck, if all Tech alumni within 200 miles showed up, it still wouldn’t be a sell out. Why? Because Tech grads have careers all over the world, and can afford to move 10 miles from home.
SWFLJacket
November 17th, 2009
11:37 am
Thanks to the real UGA fans with class.
All the others need to rot in hell and get bung holed constantly with telephone poles.
GGTOG&THWGT
November 17th, 2009
11:51 am
Who the F is Bob and why is his neck red?
Yes,”Redneck Riviera” Mike, Tech does send its terrorists all over the world.
DS
November 17th, 2009
12:20 pm
This Dawg fully offers Kudos for Tech and their season!!! Great year, but please don’t start stealing the logo from CMR a couple years ago, “Finish the Drill” it’s probably offensive to your team because I’m sure they can come up with one on their own.
Good luck in Tampa and make the state proud!
freshman Tight end
November 17th, 2009
1:19 pm
DAMN …. I am waisting precious seconds of my life and precious brain cells even looking AT WHAT BOOGIE MAN writes….. ouch my head hurts…. im getting stupider
heyyyy
November 17th, 2009
1:21 pm
St. Jorge!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poqabnmzCmw
I heart CPJ
November 17th, 2009
2:20 pm
DOES ANYONE PLEASE HAVE ANY SHIRTLESS PICTURES OF PAUL JOHNSON?!?!? PLEASE??!!?!?! I’M DESPERATE!!!
Neaves
November 17th, 2009
2:23 pm
Tampabound,
I’ve never seen a rooster online that list players majors and GPA as well. Will you please post the one you found for Tech? Thanks
ACC is a joke
November 17th, 2009
2:28 pm
Sad that the Tool Nation is forced to celebrate a good record for playing in the weakest BCS conferenece in the country
Dave from GT
November 17th, 2009
3:28 pm
Butt Sniffers…… yup…… that about sums it up!
Tech Rules GA
November 17th, 2009
5:24 pm
Nice to consider that over the same period, GT is twice as competitive against UGA as opposed to the Dawgs vs the Gators…
HELP!!! I'M LOCKED IN THE FRAT HOUSE BASEMENT!
November 17th, 2009
6:46 pm
AND BOY IS MY A** SORE!
REGGIE BALL
November 17th, 2009
7:28 pm
WE WOULD BE UNDEFEATED IF I STILL WAS BALLIN’ IT UP ON THE FIELD THIS YEAR! GO JACKETS! THE DOGS (NOTICE I AND ALL TECH GRADS CAN SPELL A 4 LETTER WORD CORRECTLY) ARE GOING DOWN BIG TIME THIS YEAR! THWG! I’M PREDICTING 55-21
jojatek
November 17th, 2009
7:42 pm
A little late here with this post, Schultzie, but your piece is spot-on again. Tech is on a roll and, after that 4th-and-1 call against Wake in OT, this team will follow CPJ into any battle, anywhere, anytime. One cautionary note: I did not like the way CPJ approached last year’s bowl game against LSU (a predictable outcome in that game given CPJ’s approach, in my humble opinion…). Looking ahead a bit, I hope that he has changed his philosophy in that regard (perhaps the only part of CPJ’s philosophy that I would change at this point). We need to stop reading our own press clippings RIGHT NOW, prepare for an absolute war against the Dawgs (the tables are turned this year… for a change, our game is bigger for UGA than the bowl game they will end up playing in… wish we could see them on the blue turf of Boise!), then maintain that same level of intensity against Clemson and whoever we play in the Orange Bowl…
“Finish the drill”, coach, and stop listening to those Notre Dame rumors! A dead-end job up there…
Go Jackets!!
HELP!!! I'M LOCKED IN THE FRAT HOUSE BASEMENT!
November 17th, 2009
7:49 pm
NO WAIT! THIS IS THE BATHROOM AT FIVE GUYS. I THOUGHT I SMELLED DOG PISS.
heeldawg
November 18th, 2009
5:15 am
Great season so far, Jacket fans. CPJ has really turned your program around. Hope we can at least make things interesting in Atlanta in two weeks, but I’m not expecting much at this juncture.
Keep representing the state well!
Nerds still hiding behind UF
November 18th, 2009
10:28 am
Tech rules GA:
Just curious which “period” you’re referring to? Since 1990? If memory serves me correctly, Yech has only beaten UGA twice since 1990. While UGA has beaten UF 3 times.
Surely you’re not going to claim the 3 “wins” in the late 90’s when Yech was caught in the biggest academic scandal in ACC history, are you?
ReGgIe BaLlA!!!
November 18th, 2009
10:31 am
y0!!!
I aInT sUrE wHo DaT BeE aCtIn LiKe dAy bEe MeE uP DaRe. BuTt dAt aInT wUsNt MeE!!! I SaId mAh JaCkEtZ wInS dA gAmE 112-4!!! DaT OfFeNcE beE TiTe aZ hElL dIs YeEr!!!!
Ramblin' Wrecker
November 18th, 2009
10:34 am
Jeff,
We quite possibly have the most dominate team to ever grace football, college of professional. I don’t see us dropping a game for at least the next decade or so. Nebitt should win the Heisman this year, hands down. I’m just counting down the days til they rename the stadium after Johnson, along with the Heisman.
The REAL Truth at UGA
November 18th, 2009
3:03 pm
Attention: Redneck UGA Fan hiding behind the “nerd” handle.
Just one name: Jan Kemp. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Kemp
Jan Kemp began teaching at the University of Georgia in 1978.
In 1981 Kemp was one of the teachers who complained claiming that Georgia officials had intervened allowing nine college football players to pass the remedial English course, allowing them to play against Pittsburgh in the Sugar Bowl.
Kemp was demoted in 1982 and dismissed one year later. She then filed a lawsuit claiming she had been fired due to her complaints about the passing of players. During the time after she was dismissed Kemp tried to commit suicide twice. The University defended its actions saying that Kemp was dismissed for “disruptive conduct and for failure to conduct adequate scholarly research”.[1]
The jury found the University guilty for the illegal dismissal of Dr. Kemp and she was awarded $2.5 Million, which was later reduced to $1.08 Million. Kemp was reinstated and University President Dr. Fred C. Davison resigned.
After the trial Kemp spoke to The New York Times saying “All over the country, athletes are used to produce revenue. I’ve seen what happens when the lights dim and the crowd fades. They’re left with nothing. I want that stopped”. Kemp retired from teaching in 1990 and was named a hero of the 1980’s by People magazine.
Guess that 1980 National Title will need an *ASTERISK* by it.
Golden Tornado
November 18th, 2009
9:34 pm
Why is Georgia’s color red?
Answer: Because UGA students can’t spell “crimson” or “scarlet.”
Nerds still hiding behind UF
November 19th, 2009
9:40 am
Let’s see…..1980 came before 1981….so….no, there is no need for an *ASTERISK* since your entire copy and paste job took place a YEAR after. I thought you tool fans were supposed to at least be able to count?
Don’t get your panties in a wad because I simply stated the facts. That being GEORGIA TECH WAS CAUGHT IN THE BIGGEST ACADEMIC SCANDAL IN ACC HISTORY!!!!!!
PePe
November 19th, 2009
9:52 am
Best to my knowledge, Kemp won a civil lawsuit. UGA was never found criminally guilty and forced on probation of any sort, correct? I know the President resigned over the Kemp matter, but most would for PR reasons. So I don’t think the Kemp debacle and Tech’s cheating of 6 years (97-03) are the same.
killerJ
November 19th, 2009
10:03 am
I,ve Got My X-Mas Present! , Right On!! , See You At Tampa In The Club Level!! THWG & THWC!!!! Kick Some Mammal A#$%SS Tampa Bound!!!!!!!!!!!
elliot
November 19th, 2009
10:16 am
There’s nothing funnier than watching the Tool Nation getting riled up by simply mentioning their humiliating and pathetic cheating scandal from just a few short years ago. I love it!!! CHEATERS!!!!
ASTROTURF
November 19th, 2009
10:19 am
Nerds still hiding behind UF,
The REAL Truth at UGA probably considers their wins in 1943 & 44 “legit” even though they played with other teams players during the war.
Yechies truly have no shame
ricky bobby
November 19th, 2009
11:51 am
There’s a million examples as to why Tech fans are the worst in college sports, but one of the most glaring reasons is how spiteful, jealous and cruel they are. If Tech is going after a kid and they think the world of him, the day that same kid chooses UGA over them, he all of a sudden becomes a thug. But if by a miracle they happen to pick GT, then they’re “student athletes.” They reek of hypocrisy.